Asia – moody piano rock

When pianist/singer/songwriter asia mei (pronounced ah-sya) takes the stage her smiley offstage personality gives way to an intense performer and melancholy songwriter who leaves audiences moved. Her classically-honed piano interlaces with emotive singing, confiding moments of loss, nostalgia, and uprooting.

The themes of social disconnection and the search for a center stem from asia’s experiences of a cross-cultural upbringing. Born in a small Russian town, she grew up in the turbulent 90s in Jerusalem, Israel, experienced the 9/11 American trauma as a student at Boston’s Berklee College of Music, dealt with the economic collapse as a New York City resident and finally followed her husband and fellow musician, Andres Wilson, to his grad school studies to Northampton, MA.

asia’s ability to effortlessly blend genres and inspirations sets her sound apart from the clutter. She seamlessly combines expressive piano, rock guitar, jazz crooning and raw blues in one catchy, melancholic and distinctive sound.

For the sake of categorizing, asia often describes her sound as “moody piano rock” and recommends her music to fans of Muse, Antony and the Johnsons, Jeff Buckley, Tori Amos, Regina Spektor, Radiohead and Coldplay.

Outside of her singer/songwriter life, asia has garnered some impressive credits as a composer, a string arranger for Annie Gallup and John Wesley Harding, a pro-tools editor for Bruce Springsteen, Bonnie Raitt and Moby, and a classical chorus member with performances in Carnegie Hall and Andrea Boccelli’s Tour

“shards” , asia’s debut album was released in ’06 and was described as “mature beyond her years” and “showed kaleidoscopic ability”. The single “big apple tree” – released in ’09— was co-produced by David Seitz (Jeff Buckley, Dar Williams) becoming an instant fan favorite.

A second album “introverse” was released on June 11, 2011 after a successful fan funding campaign and is already getting overwhelmingly positive reviews for its artistry, originality and soul.